Posts belonging to Category Health and Well-Being

There’s going to be a new addition to the Living with Balls Family soon. My wife and I are expecting our first child, a boy, in June.

There’s a lot that goes on in your head when you realize you are going to be a father. I must admit, my first reaction was one of terror. Even though we were actively trying to have a child, when I looked at that positive pregnancy test, it became real. It’s terrifying for so many reasons. The biggest reason for me, is the fear of the unknown. I know nothing about taking care of a child. What goes into caring for a baby each day? What if we don’t have enough money to support him? How will I balance work and childcare? What if he has health problems? Will my wife’s vagina ever be the same?  These are all the pressing questions that crossed my mind. (more…)

I remember back when I was in college, my school required all students to take a certain amount of general education classes. These are classes outside of a person’s major that a school decides are important for all student’s to take.

It seems silly to me that I had to take those classes now, as I look back on it. Most of these general education classes proved to be a waste of time. None of these classes proved to be beneficial to me when I entered the real world. Outside of being able to answer a few more questions on Jeopardy and beat my friends in Trivial Pursuit, those general education classes haven’t been much help. Sorry, but the Art History class I took has not in the least bit helped me through life’s challenges or allowed me to earn any extra money.

Now that I’m nearly a decade removed from college, I’ve realized there are a number of classes that certainly could have proved to be beneficial had they been offered to me in college. But for the most part, these classes do not exist across college campuses. I’ve realized that most of the time, we are forced to learn on the fly when it comes to some of life’s biggest challenges. It certainly would have been nice to have some guidance on the issues below.

Here are some college course offerings that every school should have… (more…)

Two years ago, I was struggling to decide on what team to bet in the Super Bowl so I decided to consult my good luck charm—my wife.  My wife, Mrs. Sacks, knows next to nothing about football.  Yet amazingly, she accurately predicted the Packers would defeat the Steelers in Super Bowl 45.   The next year I decided to try my luck again, and this time, she not only predicted that the Giants would cover the spread but that they would win outright over the Patriots in Super Bowl 46.

So here am I again trying to pick between two evenly-matched teams.  I’m having trouble deciding between the 49ers and the Ravens.  So for a third straight year, I’m looking to my wife, who doesn’t know the difference between a punt and field goal, to handicap the Super Bowl.  Here’s how the conversation went (This conversation is completely real).

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This is always a great time of year at Living with Balls. The Super Bowl is around the corner, which is usually exciting in its own right. But because I create my annual Super Bowl drinking game, I see a huge spike in visits. My pageviews nearly double because of it. Apparently, there are plenty of degenerates in this country looking to get obliterated during the Super Bowl.

If you are one of those degenerates, then you came to the right place.  This Super Bowl drinking game is guaranteed to get you FUCKED UP. But as I do every year, I must warn you with this disclaimer…

This drinking game is not for the casual drinker. Proceed with caution. Living with Balls is not responsible if you get violently ill or die from playing this game. I recommend you adjust the rules to your tolerance or just quit playing when you’re good and drunk.

I have set up a game for both beer and shots. You’re welcome to do one or the other, or play both.  God help you if you try playing both.   Here’s the Super Bowl 47 Drinking Game.  (more…)

If you follow this site regularly, than you know that my wife and I recently purchased a home. Since our closing, something different has broken just about every month. Unfortunately, I am not the most handy person around.  But I am certainly one of the cheapest people.  So when it comes to hiring someone over fixing it myself, the home repair process usually goes something like this… (more…)

As a native Long Islander, I was able to witness firsthand the destructive Hurricane Sandy on Monday. Fortunately, my friends and family all emerged from the storm unscathed and without any major damage to their home. Many others were not so lucky.

New Yorkers have had their share of storm scares before in the past but NOTHING like this. We have our yearly nor’easters, blizzards and thunderstorms. There has even been the occasional tropical storm.

In the days leading up to any big storm there is always that group of people who take lots of precautions. They stock up on batteries and canned food and buy out Home Depot. They buy all the bottled water and create lines at the gas stations. Those people make it impossible to run any errand the few days prior.

Then you have the other group of people that mock those cautious people. (more…)

There are few things that can cause more rage than driving. Whether it’s sitting in traffic, getting stuck behind a slow driver or getting cut off, driving is sure to cause aggravation nearly every day of our lives. With that in mind, I thought I would highlight some of the biggest assholes on the road with Guys I Want to Punch in the Face: Driving Edition.

Note: Some of these were pulled from older posts. I figured I’d take all the driving ones and group them into one post, in addition to adding a few new ones. (more…)

I’m not bald…yet.  But my hair is on borrowed time. At 30, my hair is starting to thin and I estimate that I probably only have 5-10 years of good coverage left.  For a few years now, I’ve been waiting to hear about a breakthrough on a cure for baldness.  Now, recent research suggests we may see that cure in the years to come.

Current procedures to combat baldness involve topical creams that typically can only keep a person from losing any more hair and surgical procedures that move healthy hairs into bald areas.  But a recent breakthrough, shows that scientists may have discovered a way to spur hair growth in areas that were previously bald.  (more…)

It seems like you cannot watch a professional sporting event these days without being bombarded by advertisements. A NFL coach challenges a play and we see an ad for the Coors Light Freeze Frame. The 15th out of a baseball game is recorded and you are reminded that GEICO can save you 15 percent on car insurance. We watch, what we think is a slam dunk contest, but when Blake Griffin jumps over car, we are really just seeing a cleverly disguised ad for Kia. It’s already out of control— and it’s about to get worse….

The NBA recently announced they would begin to allow advertisements on jerseys beginning in the 2013-14 season. The NBA Board of Governors approved the use of 2” x 2” patches, which they estimate will generate an additional $100 million dollars in revenue.

This is probably just the beginning. All it takes is for one major sports organization to do this. It’s only a matter of time before other major professional sports follow suit. Though Bud Selig, the commissioner of MLB, has already gone on record in saying he wouldn’t allow that. But he’s retiring soon and how do we know the next commissioner will feel the same way? (more…)

The 2012 MLB All-Star game is approaching. Though I feel the baseball All-Star game is more interesting than the all-star games of other professional sports, it’s still pretty damn boring. Of course one way to make it more interesting is to make a drinking game out of it.

Since my annual Super Bowl Drinking Game has been very popular, why not make another version? So with that in mind, here is the first Living with Balls, MLB All-Star Drinking Game!

As always my lawyers have asked me to make this statement:

This drinking game is not for the casual drinker. Proceed with caution. Living with Balls is not responsible if you get violently ill from playing this game. Feel free to adjust the rules to your tolerance or just quit playing when you’re good and drunk.

You’ll need beer and some hard liquor. There are a few possibilities for taking shots. (more…)